When Mike Santana made his return to TNA Wrestling almost a year ago to the date, at Rebellion, he did so by jumping on one of the biggest dogs in TNA around today, Steve Maclin. Maclin demanded a match and Santino Marella showed up on the entranceway. Santino told Maclin that moments ago he just signed another contract with a “new superstar,” The music hit, and Mike Santana made his way out to the ring in a TNA arena for the first time since 2019.

The last time TNA Wrestling fans saw Santana he was a tag team wrestler. His talent shined through and everyone knew just how good he truly was and is. However, it’s fair to say that this is Santana’s biggest run in TNA, so far. He has shown all he can do as a singles star, and spoiler alert, he’s delivered on every front. This has been a great fresh start for Santana and has revitalized his wrestling career, and a run that has taken it to brand new heights.

Mike Santana’s Run in TNA Has Been A Great Fresh Start

When Mike Santana made his return to TNA, this time, things were certainly different. From the date he returned up until now, we’ve seen a much different side of Santana, and it has been a fantastic run, so far. For years, Santana was known as one half of a very talented tag team in Pride & Powerful or LAX. However, this time we saw Santana in all of his glory, and he’s been given the opportunity to showcase what he can do on his own.

Since his return, we’ve seen Santana have wars with Maclin, Jake Something, Moose, and so many more of TNA’s great matches. However, one rivalry we saw Santana in that really stuck out to me is that of the one with Josh Alexander and the Northern Armory. This was Alexander’s swan song in TNA as he’s officially a free agent after finishing up in the company against Santana.

At Final Resolution in December of 2024, Santana faced off with Joe Hendry, Alexander, and Maclin in an elimination-style fatal-four-way match. This was the match which started the entire rivalry with Alexander. In January of 2025, Santana defeated Alexander in an “I Quit” match at Genesis. This led to the two shaking hands after the match, in a passing of the torch moment for Santana.

This was Alexander’s way of saying “this is your company now” to Santana. Santana has quickly become a mainstay in TNA Wrestling again. He made his intentions clear after his return match with Maclin about why he was indeed back in TNA, and he’s been off to a great start.

“I’m here for the top spot. So, everybody watching, everybody that’s sitting high in their tree, everybody that’s sitting comfortably, take a look at me. I’m gonna be real, I’m gonna say it to you now so that there’s no ‘He said, she said.’ There’s no bullsh*t that needs to be spewed, you heard it from the source himself. I’m coming for your f**king spots. I’m coming for your spots. Feast your eyes, you just witnessed the return of the motherf**king realest.”

To say he’s fired up to be back in the company he started with at a national level, is an understatement. For years, TNA has been known as a great place for people to come and re-invent themselves. Mike Santana is a perfect candidate for TNA. TNA puts on some of the greatest wrestling shows on the planet, and if you disagree, I challenge you to check out any of Josh Alexander’s matches from the past few years, or even any of Nic Nemeth or The Hardy’s matches in recent memory.

All of that aside, Mike Santana to TNA could be a huge fresh start for him. This is a real chance to show everyone on the national level why he can be a great singles star to build a company around. He stated above he wants the “top spot,” in the company. Honestly, a world title run in Santana’s future may not be too far-fetched, and could certainly be coming sooner than later.

Right now, Santana is feuding with another wrestler who is looking to get back on track after his WWE release, Mustafa Ali. Ali has been crushing it in TNA, and seeing Santana and Ali do what they do arguably better than anyone in the ring has been immensely special. Santana is currently proving he’s one of the strongest wrestlers inside the ring and out.

Santana is special for many reasons and his return to TNA was equally as special. His run, so far, in TNA has been very special. Despite not getting any gold yet, he’s continuing to show the world why he’s as good as he says he is. For the first time in TNA history, we have seen who MIKE SANTANA is. I’m all for this and to say I’m excited is an understatement. Welcome back to TNA, Mike Santana. We missed you.